You know things aren't looking good when it takes phone calls to 5 different stores before you can even find a copy of a game, and on three of those calls the clerks haven't even heard of what you're talking about.

It bums me out that good games like this are so often lost in the shuffle of big name frag-fests. Don't get me wrong, I picked up The Orange Box and Bioshock and I loved them both, but sometimes these smaller games are just as enjoyable but no one seems to pay much attention. Psychonauts comes to mind. One of the best games around the year that it came out but it sold, what, like 8 copies worldwide.

Anyway, the point is, if you like great art direction, really amusing and fun puzzle solving and haven't touched your Wii since Metroid or Zelda, you should go out and pick up Zack and Wiki.

I've always been an advocate of "voting with my money" when it comes to consumerism. I try to shop at stores that are doing good things, or sell superior product even it costs me a little more. The same holds true in gaming. I try to make a point of going out and picking up games that are well designed, original, and maybe aren't going to get the kind of press that a Halo, or a Halflife is going to get, becuase those are the games that really need the support. Or we're just going to end up with 865 run-and-gun shooters every year because it's the only thing companies will feel is "safe" to make.